


Going Once, Going Twice...

by angelus2hot



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Het
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-15
Updated: 2012-12-15
Packaged: 2017-11-21 10:08:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a little help from Caroline and an auction, Elena realizes her feelings for Damon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Once, Going Twice...

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Going Once, Going Twice...  
>  **Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** Damon/Elena, Caroline  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 3,023  
>  **Prompt:** After having his love for Elena thrown back into his face one too many times, he's finished with MF. But before he goes, he's wrangled into participating in a Christmas bachelor auction. Elena shows up and when some woman starts bidding on him, she can't stop herself from getting jealous and competing against the woman to win Damon. When she wins, Damon is pissed with all of her mixed signals and forces her to confront her feelings or leave him alone. All whilst doing whatever Christmas themed date Damon offered for the auction.  
>  **A/N:** written for princessme385 @ [The Damon & Elena Holiday XCHNG](http://tvdmixing.livejournal.com/25527.html)

“Elena!” Caroline yelled as she stepped out of the store and saw Elena across the street.

“Hey, Caroline!” Elena crossed the street to greet her. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Caroline shrugged her shoulders. “I know right? Especially since you know how much I hate shopping.”

“Yeah right.” A giggle escaped Elena. “What are you shopping for?”

“Oh, you know the usual. I bet you’re looking for something special for tonight right?”

“What?” 

“I just assumed.... Wait. You are going to the auction tonight. Aren’t you?”

Elena stared at her best friend in confusion. “What auction? What are you talking about?”

“The Christmas Auction. You know the one Mystic Falls has every year.” Caroline couldn’t quite keep the implied ‘duh’ out of her voice. “The one that benefits the hospital, remember?”

Elena shook her head. “Oh. I had forgotten about that.”

“Obviously.” Caroline’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “So, what’s so much on your mind that you forget the one time that we women get to ogle the good-looking men in this town without coming off as sluts?”

“It’s nothing.” She really didn’t want to talk about it. But Elena had apparently forgotten Caroline’s tenacity when it came to something she really wanted to know.

“Try again, Elena. I know better.”

“I just... I don’t want to talk about it.”

Caroline placed her hands on her hips as she stared at her best friend. “Tough. You know you’ll feel better once you have it out in the open.”

A huge sigh escaped Elena. “It’s Damon.”

 _Of course it was._ It was always one or the other of the Salvatore brothers that had her best friend’s emotions tied up in knots. Although, she had to admit for some reason Damon was the one who seemed to do it the most. “What did he do this time?”

“He didn’t _do_ anything.” Elena took a deep breath. “He’s leaving Mystic Falls, Caroline.”

Elena was surprised to see a huge smile begin to spread across Caroline’s face. She knew that her best friend wasn’t exactly pro-Damon but she hadn’t thought Caroline would be that happy to see him leave town either. “Caroline. It’s nothing to be happy about.”

“I’m sorry, Elena. I wasn’t smiling because of that. I....” But before she could finish her sentence Elena interrupted.

“Don’t you understand? Damon’s leaving!” Tears sprang to Elena’s eyes. She was just so confused. She didn’t understand why but for some reason the thought of Damon leaving town was just too much for her to take. 

“Not tonight he’s not.”

“What?”

Once more a huge smile began to spread across Caroline’s face. “Remember the Christmas Auction I just mentioned?” At Elena’s nod she continued, “Well, Damon is one of the bachelors.”

 _Damon was one of the bachelors?_ “What? How?”

Caroline shrugged her shoulders. “Why would I know? I think he was asked when one of the other men had to drop out suddenly. Apparently he had some sort of accident and could no longer attend so the town council...”

Elena was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear anything else Caroline was saying. It had dawned on her what was going to happen at this auction. Other women were going to be bidding on Damon. _Other women who wanted Damon!_ She had to stop this. And she had to do it now!

“I’m sorry, Caroline. I just remembered something I have to do.” Without another word, Elena turned and left a grinning Caroline staring after her.

Caroline’s smile began to fade as she stared after Elena. “Part one, complete.”

 

 

“Ladies, Ladies.” The announcer yelled over the crowd. “May I bring your attention to our next bachelor. He has promised for his date one of unequaled pleasure. A delight for the very senses.” Titters of excitement swept through the crowd of women. “First the finest French cuisine Mystic Falls has to offer, followed by a leisurely stroll through the park and last but certainly not least what says Christmas more than a moonlight ride in a horse drawn carriage.” She winked at her captive audience. “And we all know what happens in those, don’t we?” Once more a round of excitement swept through the room as the ladies tried to peek around the doorway to see who the mysterious bachelor would be.

“So, I guess you all are wondering who our mystery man is, aren’t you?” All heads nodded in agreement. “Then let me not waste another moment of your time. Ladies, may I present to you all....” She paused for a brief moment to help build the suspense. “Damon Salvatore!”

As one a gasp went through the crowd as they watched as he stepped onto the stage. Slowly, he removed his black dinner jacket, hooked it over his finger and slung it over his shoulder. His white shirt was unbuttoned just enough to make the women begin to drool in earnest. His dark hair shown in the light as his blue eyes swept the room. A wicked smile began to pull at the corners of his mouth as he stared at each woman in turn. His look promised pleasure that no woman in the room doubted he could deliver on. He couldn’t help but know that each one of them was hoping she would be the one who would win his attentions. At least for the night. But there was one woman that he knew wouldn’t be there. The one woman he wanted more than anything but for some reason couldn’t see how much he cared for. Or worse didn’t care. 

Damon jerked back to his senses just as the bidding started.

“So let me start the bidding at one hundred dollars.”

The moment the words had left her mouth a hand shot up. “One hundred and fifty dollars.”

Before the lady had finished speaking another one was all ready with her bid. “Two hundred and fifty dollars.” She giggled as her friends oohed and aahed. “What? It is for charity after all.”

 

“Four hundred dollars.” All eyes turned towards Elena as she stood in the doorway and glared at the women who were waving their money over their heads as if they were at a Chippendale nightclub and couldn’t wait to see Damon take it all off.

The bidding broke out furiously after that. Elena glared at the overly enthusiastic woman in front of her who waved her arm higher as each time she would out bid Elena. It was all Elena could do not to find something to hit the obnoxious woman over the head with.

_This was getting ridiculous._

“Are you going to let her get away with that?”

Elena turned to see her best friend standing beside her. “Caroline? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, let’s just say I was curious as to the what you had to do. But you didn’t answer my question. Are you going to let her get away with that?”

“But what if she out bids me again?” Elena whispered furiously.

“She won’t. Trust me.” 

There was something about Caroline’s tone that worried her but the thought of Damon with another woman worried her more. Besides she couldn’t deny she was tempted. “How can you be sure she won’t?”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “How can you be sure she will?”

“You’re right.” Elena turned to face the announcer. Her voice was calm and belied the nervousness that she felt. “Two thousand dollars for Damon Salvatore.”

A hush came over the crowd at her bid. Even Caroline was struck mute by the amount. She had thought Elena would bet big but not quite that big. Apparently her best friend wasn’t taking any chances on losing Damon to the other woman.

Elena turned to her best friend and in a voice she made sure the lady in front of her could hear. “What? It is for charity after all.”

“I have two thousand dollars. Do I hear twenty-five hundred?” The announcer paused just long enough to give any of the other women the chance to place another bet. But when it was plain no one was going to bet again, she continued, “Going once, going twice... Sold to Miss Elena Gilbert.” With a smile on her face she turned to Elena and winked. “I know you will enjoy your date.”

 

For a moment Damon stood shell shocked in the middle of the stage. He had been absolutely positive Elena wouldn’t be there. As a matter of fact he hadn’t even told her he would be there. But there she stood. She had outbid every woman in the room to go on a date with him. _What the hell was going on?_ She couldn’t keep doing this to him. 

“Mr. Salvatore?”

With a smile, that he was far from feeling plastered on his face, Damon stepped down and took Elena’s hand. “What are you doing here?” He whispered through clenched teeth.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Elena’s teeth were just as clenched as his were when she spoke.

“Let’s all wish them well. And now if I can have your attention to our next bachelor.”

With a secretive smile on her face, Caroline stood at the door and waved them off. “Part two, complete.”

 

The announcer’s voice trailed off to nothingness as Damon and Elena walked out of the building and into the cool night air.

“What’s going on, Elena?” Damon eyebrow raised as he opened the door of his car and ushered her inside.

She waited until Damon was seated in the driver’s seat before she spoke. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh come off, Elena. It’s a very easy question.” His blue eyes bored into hers as he turned the key in the ignition and the engine purred to life.

Elena rolled her eyes at his statement. To him it might seem easy but to her it was anything but.

 

 

Thankfully, the restaurant wasn’t crowded but just full enough to guarantee them a little privacy. 

They sat at a corner both far from prying eyes as they ate their meal in silence.

Elena rubbed her hands together. This wasn’t going as well as she had hoped it would. Not that she had planned it all that well to begin with. She hadn’t really planned it at all. One look at the way those women were eyeing Damon and she had seen red. She couldn’t let any one of those ladies get her claws into him. The next thing she knew here she was. 

 

An hour and a half later, Damon and Elena were strolling through the park. Each one lost in his or her own thoughts until Damon broke the silence.

“What happened, Elena?” He stopped on the trail and turned her to face him.

“What happened about what?” She was the picture of innocence.

A huge sigh escaped him. “Why are we here? You’ve made it plain that you don’t want me. I would have to be completely stupid or a masochist not to get that by now. So, what was with the act back at the auction?”

He watched in amazement as a flush began to spread slowly across her cheeks.

“They were bidding on you.”

A wicked grin spread across his face. “They were supposed to. That’s why it’s called an auction.”

“But they didn’t even know you. Did you see the way they were waving around their money as if you were some kind of stripper there for their amusement.”

And then it came to him. “You were jealous!”

“I wasn’t...” She couldn’t in all honesty finish the sentence. Especially since she was afraid Damon just might be right. But he couldn’t be. Could he?

“What right do you have to be jealous?” Damon’s nostrils flared as his temper rose. “You don’t want me. Remember? What, do you think if you don’t want me no one else can have me either, is that it?”

“No. That’s not... I don’t think that.” She tucked her hair behind her ear as she moved away and resumed walking. “Damon. I....”

Damon placed his fingers over her lips effectively silencing her. “The coachman is here. This is the last thing we have to do on our date. I want you to think about what it is you want.”

Once Damon had helped Elena up into the carriage he turned to the coachman and stared into his eyes. “You will not hear a word that is said in the back of the carriage. You will keep your eyes in the front and your mind on your duties at all times. You will take us through the park, around Mystic Falls. As for where we will we end up that’s up to the lady to decide. I’ll let you know.” With that Damon released the man and hopped into the carriage beside Elena.

“Was that completely necessary, Damon?”

“What?’

Elena sighed. “You put that man under compulsion.”

Damon shrugged his shoulders. “It seemed the easiest way. Besides you didn’t want a witness to our conversation did you?”

“No but I...”

Damon quickly interrupted. “I’m not Stefan.” Without another word on that subject Damon placed a blanket across Elena’s lap as he motioned for the driver to begin their ride. "Now where were we?" Damon grinned. "Ah, you were going to explain to me why it is that you don't want me but you don't want anyone else to have me either.

“That's not it. I don't think that, Damon." She repeated her words from earlier as a soft sigh escaped her and she scooted away from his body. It was too hard to think straight with any part of him touching her. "It’s complicated.”

Damon scooted right along with her, his thigh continued to touch hers. “It doesn’t seem that way to me. You either want me or you don’t. Right now I’m getting mixed signals. And I don’t like that one little bit.”

Once more Damon turned her to face him. “You have to make up your mind, Elena. Either you want me or you don’t. If you do you have to let me know and if you don’t...” He cupped her face in his hands, “Then you have to let me go.”

 _Let him go?_ Elena sat in stunned silence as Damon turned to face the front. He wanted her to leave him alone, to let him go. She wasn’t sure that she could. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Suddenly, her mind whirled with images of Damon walking away from her for good. The thought of never being with him, of never seeing him again clawed at her insides until she thought she would go crazy from the pain of it.

Tears fell silently down her cheeks as the thought of losing Damon was more than she could handle. What she didn’t understand was why that thought was so abhorrent to her. Sure, she was attracted to Damon. Who wouldn’t be? He was a gorgeous man. But it wasn’t as if she was in love with him. Right? So what right did she have to keep him from finding his true love? Unbidden the image of Damon with another woman wrapped in his arms flashed through her head. Elena shook her head violently. The thought of him with another woman was enough to drive her insane with jealousy. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t let him go. Damon Salvatore belonged to her!

Out of the corner of his eye, Damon spotted the tears as they fell from Elena’s eyes. He hated being the one who had brought her to tears. Silently, he reached out and caught a teardrop on the tip of his finger. He brought his finger to his lips and quietly licked it away.

He shifted in his seat to face her. “Elena?”

That was all it took. The sound of her name and she was broken. “I can’t do it, Damon. I just can’t.”

“What? What can’t you do, Elena?”

Without a warning Elena threw herself against him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. “I can’t let you go. Please don’t ask me to.”

Damon’s eyes shut tight at the feel of her body melting against him. This was what he wanted, what he needed but there was one other thing he had to know. “Why can’t you let me go?”

At first he was afraid she wouldn’t answer. The only sound that could be heard was the soft clip clop of the horses’ hooves as they pulled the carriage through the darkness. Finally, after what seemed like forever Elena began to speak.

“Because I didn’t understand what I was feeling until now.”

“And now you do?”

She nodded her head.

“Tell me, Elena. What is it that you’re feeling?” He drew a deep unsteady breath as he waited for her answer. He was lingering on the precipice of a monumental moment. One he had all but given up he would ever get to. “Why can’t you let me go?”

Once again she fell silent.

“Please, Elena.”

She clung even tighter to him as she buried her face into his neck. “I love you. I think I’ve loved you for a very long time.”

Damon put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her gently away. Just far enough so he could look into her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Say it again.”

“I love you, Damon Salvatore.”

With his face alight with joy, he pulled her back into his arms. “It’s about damn time.” He whispered as his lips claimed hers in a kiss guaranteed to seal her fate forever. 

 

They were so lost in each that neither one of them noticed Caroline standing on the side of the road with a huge satisfied smile plastered to her face as their carriage passed them by. It had taken a lot of work on her part to get those two together. And now that it all had paid off she had some debts to pay herself. With a tiny wave, one they didn’t notice, to the couple she had brought together, Caroline turned and walked away.


End file.
